1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices which incorporate a composite material having gradients at the interfaces between components of the composite material. In particular, the invention relates to electrochemical devices and systems which incorporate a magnetic composite material, such as fuel cells, batteries, membrane sensors, and flux switches, as well as chromatographic and nonelectrochemical separation devices, which exploit magnetic gradients at the interfaces between components of the magnetic composite material, and having modified and enhanced flux and performance.
2. Background of the Related Art
In the detailed description of preferred embodiments, it will be shown that interfacial gradients in properly prepared composite materials can be exploited to enhance flux in many types of electrochemical systems such as fuel cells, batteries, membrane sensors, filters and flux switches. Such interfacial gradients may also be exploited in separators involving chromatographic separations and nonelectrochemical separations including, but not limited to, separations of light and heavy transition metals and transition metal complexes. The heavy transition metals include the lanthanides and the actinides which have atomic numbers 58-71 and 90-103, respectively. First, however, the following discussion provides a brief overview of the current understanding of magnetic properties in composites. In particular, the discussion below summarizes the thermodynamic, kinetic and mass transport properties of bulk magnetic materials. These bulk properties of molecules in magnetic fields are fairly well understood in the art.